Refrigerator display case



Aug. 23 1927.

E. F. BEACON REFRIGERATOR DISPLAY CASE v 4 QINVENTOR BY 1 AT ORNEJ/ Filed Feb. 6 1926 a mm /V 1+ v g 7 Patented Aug. 23', 1927. UNITED STATES 1,639,841 PATENT OFFICE.

- EDWARD F. BEACON, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO GUS V. BREGHI BUTC HEBS SUPPLY OOIPANY, 01 S1. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A. CORPORATION 01' IISSOUBI.

mn rennaron msrmx casn.

Application fled February a, 1920. Serial no; some.

My invention relates to a refrigerated case for the display of meats, meat products and other food products requiring low tem eravection currents set up only by the develop-' ment of heat at particular points on the sur faces of the meat.

My display case is intended for use with a local mechanical source of refrigeration located adjacent to it and which automatically starts. and stops in accordance with the temperature within the case.

A further object of my invention is to provide a hold over tank of brine whereby the interval between stopping and starting of the refrigerating machine may be increased, and to so arrange this tank as not to thereby decrease the available display space in the case.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear from the following more detailed description.

The accompanying drawing is a cross sectional view of a display case embodying my invention.

The display compartment of the case is formed by bottom, top, end and front and rear walls, as shown, the front wall being formed of spaced plates of glass 1, and the rear wall being provided with slidin doors 2 permitting access to the interior. e bot tom of the case is provided with supports 3 on which meat display platters 4 may be placed and by means of which they are spaced above the bottom. of the case. The brine tank 5 is located along the rear wall of the case and its upper surface also provides a support .for meat platters. Expansion coils 6 are located in-the top of the case directly above the main meat display latters and are in circuit with expansion co 7 located in the brine tank. These expansion coils are connected to the refrigerant compressor not shown) the refrigerant being first disc arged into the coils in the upper part of the case. The expansion coils are concealed from view, coils 6 by the opaque tolpk wall of the case, and coils 7 by the brine ta I Beneath the coils in the upper part of the case I position a deflector plate whose upper surface slopes downward toward the rear of the case, and whose under surface slopes upward toward the front of the case. This plate is so dimensioned as to extend across the whole area directly beneath the coils but to provide air passages between its edges and the rear and front walls of the case. The edge of the deflector adjacent the rear wall of the case is turned up and the deflector slopes slightly longitudinally of the case whereby a trough is formed which carries away water dripping from the surfaces of the expansion coils. Preferably the upper and lower surfaces of the deflector plate are separated by heat-insulating material such as cork.

In the operation of the case described, the refrigerant in its coldest condition as it leaves the expansion valve is delivered into the expansion coils at the top of the case where the. air is warmest. The rapid exchange resultin from this condition quickly cools the air w ich falls downward to the deflector plate and by which it is directed rearwardly, as shown by the arrows. This motion of the air creates a suction drawing warmer air from the upper part of the front of the case through the passage between the deflector and the front wall and into contact with the expansion coils. Some of the falling air also comes into contact-with the surface of the brine tank where it is further cooled and, due to the action of the coils and deflector in the top of the case, a circulatlng current of air is set upover and beneath the meat display container which moves constantly in the path indicated by the arrows. Thus the meat is quickly cooled and more evenly maintained in a cool conditlonthan if the continuous and relatively rapid circulation of air produced by the arrangement described did not exist and the air moved in irregular paths and had a relatively slow rate which would result from the prior practice, as known to me, of merely locating cooling coils in a case at the rear wall thereof, or at some other convenientvpom't and without providing means for continuously causing a current of cooled air to move over the surface of the meat. So directing the air currents that the air while passing adj acent to the glass wall of the case is at its highest temperature prevents frosting of the glass which would impair visibility.

The operation described is continuous even when the refrigerating machine is not in operation and so long as the temperature of the coils in the top of the case is lower than that of the air which comes into contact there with.

The expression refrigeratin coils used in the claims is intended to inc ude a single pipe or container of refrigerating fluid as well as the usual plurality of pipes common- 1y referred to as coils.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

- 1. In a refrigerated display case, the com bination of means forming a refrigerating chamber having a transparent front wall means for supportin in the lower part of the chamber the pr nets to be refrigerated, refrigerating coils located in the upper part of the chamber, and a deflector plate beneath the coils and sloping laterally toward the rear of the chamber, said plate being dimensioned to provide air passages between it and-the rear and front walls of the chamber.

- 2. In a refrigerated display case, the combination of means forming. a refrigerating chamber having a transparent front wal means for su porting in the lower part of the chamber e products to be refrigerated, refrigeratin coils located in the upper. part of the cham er and other refrigerating coils located in the' lower rear part of the chamber and not directly beneath the first named coils, and means directing toward, the rear of the chamber air cooled b the upper coils.

3. In a refrigerated disp ay case, the combination of means forming a refrigerating chamber, means for en porting in t e lower art of the chamber t e products to be reigerated, refrigeratin coils located in the upper part of the cham er and other refrigerating coils in circuittherewith and located in the lower part of the chamber and not directly beneath the first named coils, means directing toward the wall of the chamber nearest the second mentioned coils air cooled by the upper coils, and asource of refrig-' erant supply so connected that the refrigerant is first discharged into the coils at the m'the lower part of the chamber the prod-v ucts to berefrigerated, refriglerating coils located immediately beneath t e top of the case, and a horizontally extending deflector plate in the upper portion of the case and beneath the coils, the upper surface of said.

plate sloping downward in lateral direction toward the rear of the case and its lower surface sloping upward'in lateral direction toward the front wall of the case, the space above the deflector plate being in communication with the space beneath along both the front and rear of the case whereby air currents are produced passing from the refrigerating COllS downward along the rear wall of .the case, over the productsjo be refrigerated and upwardl adjacent to the front wall vof the caseto t e refrigerating coils.

5. In a-refrigerated display case, the combination of m ans forming a refrigerating chamber having a transparent front wall and an opaque top, means for supporting in the lower part of the chamber the products to be refrigerated, refrigerating coils located immediately beneath the top of the case, a horizontally extending deflector plate in the upper portion of the case and beneath the coils, the upper surface -of said plate sloping downward in lateral direction to-' ward the rear of the case and its lower surface sloping upward in lateral direction toward the front wall ofthe case, the space above the deflector plate being in communication with the space beneath along both the front and rear of the case whereby air currents are produced passin from the refrigerating coils downward afimg the rear wall of the cas over the products to be refrigerated andupwardly adjacent to the front wall of the case tothe refrigerating coils,

and a refrigerated brine tank located in the.

bottom of the chamber along the rear wall thereof and in the path of air currents passingdownwardl'y from the refrigerating coils in the top of the case.

6. In a refrigerated display case, the combination of'means forming a refrigerating chamber having a transparent front wall and an opaque top, means for supportin in the lower part of the chamber the pro nets to be refrigerated, refri erating coils located immediately beneath t e top of the case, a horizontally extending deflector plate in the upper-portion of the case and beneath the coils, the upper surface of said plate sloping downward in lateral direction toward the rear of the case and its lower surface sloping upward in lateral direction toward the front wall of the case, the space above the deflector plate being in communication with the space beneath alon both the front and rear of the case where y air currents are produced passing from the refrigerating coils downward along-the rear wall of the case, over the products to be refrigerated and upwardly adjacent to the front wall of the case to the refrigerating coils, a refrlgerated brine tank located in the bottom of the chamber along the rear wall thereof and in the path of air currents passing downwardly from the refrigerating coils in the top of the case, additional refrigerating coils in said tank and in circuit with the coils in the top of the case, and a source of refrigerant supply so connected that the refllrsigerant is first discharged into said top co 7. In a refrigerated displaycase, the combination of means forming a refrigerating chamber having a transparent front wall, means for supporting in the lower part of the chamber the products to be refrigerated, refrigeration means for the chamber located in the upper part thereof, and air circulation controlling means beneath the refrigeration means adapted to cause substantially all of the air cooled by said means to be discharged along the rear of the chamber, the space within which sa d refrigeration means is located being also in communication with the lower part of the chamber along the front of the chamber, whereby apath of air circulation is established which embraces the products be refrigerated and causes air warmed thereby to pass adjacent {)0 the transparent front wall of the cham- 8. In a refrigerated display case, the combination of means forming a refrigeratipfi chamber having a transparent front w and a rear wall provided with an opening with removable closure to permit access to the chamber, means for supporting in the forward lower part of the chamber the products to be refrigerated, refrigerating coils located in the upper part of the chamber above the level of the access 0 ening, means adapted to discharge toward t e rear of the chamber the air cooled by said coils, and a brine tank extending along the rear of the lower part of the. chamber and beneath the level of the access opening but extending above the level of the aforesaid means for supporting the products to be refrigerated.

1n testimony whereof, I'hereunto aflix my signature, this 2nd day of February, 1926. EDWARD F. DEACON.. 

